We shared our election with the world and now the world is celebrating the outcome, this from the AP:
In concert halls and ballrooms, in plazas and at beach parties, people across the globe hailed Barack Obama's election as a stroke for racial equality and voiced hopes his presidency would herald a balanced, less confrontational America. […] Many acknowledged that – for better or worse – America's economic, military and cultural might made the election globally important. […] Hopes were also high among many critical of President Bush's policies that an Obama victory would herald a more inclusive, internationally cooperative U.S. approach.
The report notes reaction in Australia, China, Japan, Brazil, India, Germany, Kuwait, Israel, Iraq, and Indonesia. And according to this AP report, the American expat community abroad has noticed a definite change in tone. And finally, CNN notes that there have been celebrations in Kenya and throughout Africa embracing the vision of hope offered by the election of America's first African-American president. The U.S. has earned a windfall of global goodwill and now we ask, will this shared sense of possibility and optimism for the future transform for the better the U.S. role in the world?
